Tee Time: Get kids into golf early

Published: Saturday, September 7, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, September 6, 2013 at 11:55 p.m.

What do you do when your son or daughter proclaims one day that they want to be the next Rickie Fowler, Tiger Woods or Paula Creamer?

There are many ways to introduce your child into the world of golf. Like it or not, video games are a part of our society today and many kids get introduced to golf by playing on their Wii, Xbox or Playstation.

Video games such as Tiger Woods PGA TOUR are actually a great way to introduce kids to golf. They get to play the game on a television and get excited about it. They learn the concepts of the game and learn the areas of the course. With kids being visual, this helps them want to play the real game sometime.

When do you start your child playing golf? According to the Future Champions Golf Academy, you start them “when they have the attention span to be able to place their body into certain positions.”

John Elliott, Jr., one of Golf Digest’s 50 Best Teachers, says to start “when they’re old enough to catch a baseball. That tells me they’ve developed basic eye-hand coordination.”

Most importantly and universal amongst all junior teaching professionals is the basic premise to make sure that your child is having fun.

“My first bit of advice is simple; no matter what age your child is when they get started, make sure that having fun is No. 1. Whatever your aspirations may be for your child with golf, you need to remember (and remind your child) that it’s just a game,” says PGA professional Brandon Elliott.

The next step is to get your child off of the couch and outside with junior specific golf equipment. Your five year old is not quite ready to smack your latest watermelon-on-a-stick driver.

Take your child out to a driving range, practice facility at a local course or riding along in the golf cart while you play.

Local courses will offer junior clinics to help get kids introduced to the game. This can be an effective method, as your child will see other kids struggling like them learning the game.

For the more advanced junior players, there are many opportunities to play in competitive environments to further hone their skills.

The Western North Carolina Junior Golf Association (WNCJGA), run by Dave and Mary Sciupider, is a local organization whose mission is to “provide a competitive arena for tournament play for juniors that have already developed basic ball striking skills.”

Membership in WNCJGA is open to all pre-college residents of western North Carolina, age 5-18 and allows juniors to play in seven or eight tournaments over the summer.

Other statewide organizations such as the Tarheel Youth Golf Association (TYGA) and North Carolina Junior Golf Foundation (JCJGF) provide opportunities and information on junior golf in North Carolina.

As most of us know all to well, golf is a difficult sport. “When it comes to giving kids swing advice, avoid criticism. That keeps it fun, which is what they need from you most of all,” said John Elliott, Jr.

<p>What do you do when your son or daughter proclaims one day that they want to be the next Rickie Fowler, Tiger Woods or Paula Creamer?</p><p>There are many ways to introduce your child into the world of golf. Like it or not, video games are a part of our society today and many kids get introduced to golf by playing on their Wii, Xbox or Playstation.</p><p>Video games such as Tiger Woods PGA TOUR are actually a great way to introduce kids to golf. They get to play the game on a television and get excited about it. They learn the concepts of the game and learn the areas of the course. With kids being visual, this helps them want to play the real game sometime.</p><p>When do you start your child playing golf? According to the Future Champions Golf Academy, you start them “when they have the attention span to be able to place their body into certain positions.”</p><p>John Elliott, Jr., one of Golf Digest's 50 Best Teachers, says to start “when they're old enough to catch a baseball. That tells me they've developed basic eye-hand coordination.”</p><p>Most importantly and universal amongst all junior teaching professionals is the basic premise to make sure that your child is having fun.</p><p>“My first bit of advice is simple; no matter what age your child is when they get started, make sure that having fun is No. 1. Whatever your aspirations may be for your child with golf, you need to remember (and remind your child) that it's just a game,” says PGA professional Brandon Elliott.</p><p>The next step is to get your child off of the couch and outside with junior specific golf equipment. Your five year old is not quite ready to smack your latest watermelon-on-a-stick driver.</p><p>Take your child out to a driving range, practice facility at a local course or riding along in the golf cart while you play.</p><p>Local courses will offer junior clinics to help get kids introduced to the game. This can be an effective method, as your child will see other kids struggling like them learning the game.</p><p>For the more advanced junior players, there are many opportunities to play in competitive environments to further hone their skills.</p><p>The Western North Carolina Junior Golf Association (WNCJGA), run by Dave and Mary Sciupider, is a local organization whose mission is to “provide a competitive arena for tournament play for juniors that have already developed basic ball striking skills.”</p><p>Membership in WNCJGA is open to all pre-college residents of western North Carolina, age 5-18 and allows juniors to play in seven or eight tournaments over the summer.</p><p>Other statewide organizations such as the Tarheel Youth Golf Association (TYGA) and North Carolina Junior Golf Foundation (JCJGF) provide opportunities and information on junior golf in North Carolina.</p><p>As most of us know all to well, golf is a difficult sport. “When it comes to giving kids swing advice, avoid criticism. That keeps it fun, which is what they need from you most of all,” said John Elliott, Jr.</p><p>Fairways and greens my friend.</p>